SOLDIERS OF BARBAROSSA - fall of Kiev and the killing fields of Teremky, a soldier confronted Pt. 2

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Episode 167

In part 1 private Hans Roth, serving with the 299 ID, describes the incredible defensive system that the Soviets had built up around Kiev. In today’s video we’re following Hans’s description of how he and a few other morbidly curious soldiers visit the battlefield around Teremky, situated just outside of Kiev, and the horrors that they find. Using OKW situational maps to get an overview and rare film footage we’ll follow the group on their outing. If you’ve bought the book you can find Hans Roth’s letter on page 181. If you haven’t yet, the pinned link in the comment section will get you to it. It’s worth having, I promise.

Here we’re looking at September 24, 1941 the day that the last Soviet formations trapped in the Kiev pocket were eliminated to the south west of the city. At the time, Hans’s 299 ID was doing garrison duty in Kiev. To the north we can see the SS Div. Reich which was heavily involved in wearing down the pocket moving out of the area. If you are interested in seeing a series covering that division you’ll find a link at the end of his video so stick around.

The following day, the day Hans visited Teremky, organized enemy resistance has ceased however moping up operations would continue for months. Many of the future partisan members and much of their weapons and equipment would come from stragglers who managed to evade being captured by the Germans. Guderian’s PzG2 can be seen already beginning to move back north in preparation for the planned final push on Moscow.

Early this morning I drove with 3 other guys to Teremky. It was a most

sensitive undertaking. The whole area is still full of landmines…

This nice footage shows the equipment and process of searching for and then de-mining an area.

Even now, days after the fighting, the empty positions reach out for our lives…Everything here is sinister, still fresh the traces of the terrible battle but there is no shrieking or whistling in the air here, or thunders of

detonations…

My God what a sight! Along the total length of the high forest of Teremky,

friend and enemy are still lying there, exactly how they died 6 weeks ago.

Yes, this Teremky forest, which once was a magnificent forest, but now

there are only ripped tree trunks and in between . . . the horror assaults you!

I'll be damned! A soldier should not stroll as a pedestrian on those

battlefields which have not completely absorbed all the blood, where

within the barbed wires there are hanging things, which were worn by

soldiers once during battle…

Then we reach a huge pile of rubble: Teremky. All around us a landscape

of moon craters. Our battle positions were over there. Then we are standing at the spot where we buried the dead comrades. The earth has been disturbed many times. Nothing is discernible anymore; there, where we laid them to their final rest, are now huge funnels at the bottom of which we can seen murky ground water. How fortunate that the young women, mothers and brides know nothing about all this!...

We are driving back, nobody is speaking, silently each on his own with his

thoughts. Farewell to Teremky, from all these dear comrades. The memory

of this piece of earth is heavy. How can anybody in his lifetime forget these

zones of horror?... When will this horrible war find its end?... Everybody is

telling me I am seeing the world all black, in an alarmist way – no

comrades, to the contrary, I see white, I am seeing white snowy areas and

many, many of you all dead.